JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC INDUCTED AS A PREMIUM MEMBER OF THE NIGERIA-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

By Omo Ighodalo, Abuja.

The Executive Council of the Nigeria-British Chamber of Commerce, NBCC, last Thursday in Lagos vested its premium membership status on the country’s leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. The well-attended induction ceremony held at the headquarters of the NBCC, Lekki, Lagos.

The induction ceremony kicked off promptly when the Deputy President of the NBCC and Chairman of the Chamber’s Membership Committee, Prince Bimbo Olashore who is also the Vice President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, introduced members of the NBCC’s Executive Council. Thereafter, the NBCC’s President and Chairman of Council, Mrs Bisi Adeyemi gave a formal welcome address to members, inductees and guests at the event. She congratulated the new members and urged them to take good advantage of the business networking opportunities that abound to their membership of the Chamber. Mr Ray Atelly, frpa, presented a brief history and structure of the NBCC to the gathering and new members were formally mentioned and given an opportunity to make a one-minute pitch on behalf of their companies.

Julius Berger’s delegation to the event was led by the company’s Executive Director Administration, Alhaji Zubairu Ibrahim Bayi, Fniob. In his pitch for Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Bayi said: Since our business advent in Nigeria with the Eko Bridge Project in 1965, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has remained at the forefront of the country’s engineering construction industry, continuously building on robust experience and strong technical development and innovation for the creation of long-term value and diversification of portfolios for clients, stakeholders and the general public.” Alhaji Bayi further said, “…that remains Julius Berger’s progressive mission, work and unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s development agenda.” Bayi who said Julius Berger’s premium membership of the NBCC itself is an investment, also prayed for more successes for the company by its membership of the Chamber. According to Bayi, “in terms of history, scope, resources, project management, quality, high standards and reliability, the mention of Julius Berger in engineering construction conversations in the country brings such conversations to a conclusive finality. …with an eye for the finest engineering detail, we respectfully but confidently, boldly lead our sector”, Bayi concluded.

The Guest Speaker at the event was Mr Benson Adenuga, Director of Coverage and Head of Nigeria Office, British International Investment. He spoke extensively on the critical need for well thought out investment partnerships, traversing the ideas of start-up venture capital, growth capital, strategic (long-term) capital, and turnaround capital. The manifestly seasoned international investment guru emphasized the irreducible need for clarity of both international and municipal regulatory compliance and alignment of purpose between businesses and capital investors as that alignment becomes pivotal to business growth and connection to markets.

Mr Adenuga further maintained that clarity about the kind of investor required at any point in time during a business cycle; the proposed governance structure between the business managers and the capital investor; as well as the need for commitment to transparency and an organizational culture that is fit for purpose, are all noteworthy signals for investment readiness for an enterprise.

The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, NBCC, is a foremost bilateral Chamber in Nigeria with the objective to promote trade and Investment between Nigeria and Britain since its establishment in 1977. NBCC is affiliated to the British Chambers of commerce (BCC) which gives member companies access to a network of 52 other chambers of commerce across the commonwealth. With a membership strength of over 400 companies, whose total net worth is about N200 trillion from all sectors of the economy, the NBCC is a constantly developing network of local branches in all parts of the country and has an NBCC-UK office presence.

The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce was set up to promote and develop Anglo-Nigeria trade relations, continually create value for its members and facilitate business-to-business relationships. In conjunction with the British Chamber of Commerce, BCC, the NBCC is delighted to be working with accredited Chambers of Commerce who are piloting Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) in their areas. At a time of critical levels of skills shortages, weak productivity and increasing changes in the way people work, the Chamber Network has launched a campaign to address these crucial issues.